Answers · UK 2025/26

What is the National Living Wage as an annual salary and take-home pay in 2026/27?

At the 2026/27 National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour on a standard 37.5-hour week, annual salary is £24,784.50. Take-home pay after £2,442.90 Income Tax and £977.16 National Insurance is £21,364.44 a year, about £1,780.37 a month or £410.85 a week.

Last updated: 3 July 2026Last reviewed: 3 July 2026How we verify

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The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over rose to £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026, an increase of 4.1% on the previous year. On a standard full-time working week of 37.5 hours, this works out to an annual salary of £12.71 x 37.5 x 52, which is £24,784.50. On this salary for 2026/27: taxable income after the £12,570 Personal Allowance is £12,214.50, taxed entirely at the 20% basic rate, giving £2,442.90 Income Tax. National Insurance is 8% of £12,214.50, which is £977.16. Combined deductions of £3,420.06 leave £21,364.44 take-home pay a year, around £1,780.37 a month or £410.85 a week. If your contracted hours are 40 a week instead of 37.5, the same hourly rate produces a higher annual salary of £26,436.80, since the National Living Wage is set per hour rather than per year. Workers aged 18 to 20 are on the separate Development Rate of £10.85 an hour for 2026/27, while workers aged 16 to 17 and apprentices are on £8.00 an hour -- both considerably lower than the 21-and-over rate, reflecting the UK's tiered minimum wage structure. Always check your payslip shows at least the correct rate for your age band, since underpayment of the National Living Wage is a common area of employer non-compliance that HMRC actively investigates.